Electrical cigar or cigarette lighter



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JNVENTOR ROBERT L THI AGENT R. LUTHI Filed Oct. 6, 1949 ELECTRICAL CIGAR0R CIGARETTE LIGHTER Oct. 10, 1950 BY M Patented Oct. 10, 1950ELECTRICAL CIGAR OR CIGARETTE LIGHTER Robert Liithi, Biel, Switzerland,assignor to Elbric S. A., Lausanne, Switzerland, a corporation ofSwitzerland Application October 6, 1949, Serial No. 119,817 InSwitzerland September 22, 1949 The invention relates to an electricpocket lighter and has the main object of providing a pocket lighterwhich is of simple manufacture and use and which minimises voltage dropsin the circuit caused by transition losses.

With this and other objects in view an electric pocket lighter accordingto the present invention has a casing in the bottom portion of which anelectric current source is housed, and which is closed on top by a coverportion inserted into, and resiliently clamped to said bottom portion;the forward part of said cover portion is designed as a hinged flapwhich is held in the closed position by a pawl against the action of aspring; in the said cover portion an electric socket piece is housed inan electrically insulated manner below said hinged flap; this socket iselectrically connected by a contact spring to one of the terminals ofthe said electric current source and holds the contact cap of thecarrier of an incandescent wire one terminal of which is connected tosaid cap and the other terminal of which is connected to an electricallyconductive ring surrounding said incandescent wire; this ring issupported by and electrically insulated from a bracket attached to thesaid contact cap; a contact spring is attached to a contact plate housedin the cover portion. of the said casing, contacting the other terminalof the said electric current source; the free end of said contactspring, owing to its resiliency, tends to keep away from said ring andbears on the said pawl from inside, biasing the latter into the lockingposition. When however the said pawl is pressed inward by a forceapplied by the user, it disengages first the said pawl from the saidhinged flap whereby the latter is released to turn up into its openposition by the action of its spring. When the said pawl is furtherpressed inward, it contacts the said ring and connects the latterdirectly in an electrically conductive manner to the said other terminalof the electric current source, whereby the circuit of the incandescentwire is closed.

The terms bottom, top, forward, up etc. used in the specification andclaims are to be understood as referring merely to the ordinary positionof the electric pocket lighter when in use, and not to any fortuitousposition it may otherwise assume.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe description of an embodiment of the invention which will now begiven merely by way of example with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

4 Claims. (Cl. 21932) Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the coverportion of an electric pocket lighter, nd

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the said electric pocket lighter with thehinged flap shown in the open condition and partly broken away forclarity.

In the prismatic bottom portion l of the casing which has a rectangularoutline in plan, an electric current source 2, viz. a dry cell batteryor preferably a small accumulator, is housed, the terminals of which aredenoted 3 and 4. This bottom portion 1 is closed on top by a coverportion 5 having a flange 6 resting on the upper edge of the bottomportion I, said cover portion extending into, and being resilientlyclamped to, the said bottom portion. Part of the cover portion 5 isconstructed as a hinged flap 1 which is articulated on an axle 8arranged parallel to the short sides of the cover portion in the middle,and under the surface, thereof, so as to be capable of being tilted up,which flap extends over the entire front part of the cover portion 5embracing the front wall and side walls thereof right down to the flange6.

A spring 9 arranged on the axle 8 acts on the said hinged flap, one endof which spring abuts against a partition wall to arranged in the coverportion, and the other end of which abuts against the inside of the saidhinged flap 1 and tends to open the latter. At the inside of the frontwall of the hinged flap 1 a rest H for a locking claw l2 of a pawl I3 isprovided. This pawl I3 is pivoted on an axle I 4 which is arranged onthe front part of the cover portion 5 below flange 6. In the upper edgeof the front wall of the bottom portion I and in the front wall of thecover portion 5 a slot 15 for the pawl I3 is provided, and the latterhas a knurled projection I6 on its front face lying in the said slot [5and extending right up to the outer face of the flange It.

In the front part of the cover portion 5 a fixed intermediate bottom I!is provided on which a plate I 8 consisting of electrically insulatingmaterial is attached. The intermediate bottom I1 and the plate l8 haveat the front a recess IS in which the pawl l3 can move. On the plate l8a socket piece 20 of metal is fixed by means of a rivet 21a the head ofwhich lies under the plate It! in a recess at the rear end of theintermediate bottom [1. This socket piece 20 is provided with a tappedhole into which the correspondingly threaded contact cap 2| of anincandescent wire element is screwed.

The incandescent wire element consists of a metal bracket 22 attached tothe contact cap 2| and of a metal ring 23 attached to said cap in anelectrically insulated manner and having inwardly directed carrier arms24 which leave a central opening free, wherein lies a coiledincandescent wire, one terminal of which is connected to the said ring23 and the other terminal of which is connected to the bracket 22 in anelectrically conductive manner. The socket piece 20 is electricallyconnected to the terminal 3 of the current source 2 by means of acontact spring 26 which is also attached by the rivet 21a.

On the underside of the intermediate bottom H a contact plate 21 isattached which tightly bears on the contact piece 4 of the cur-rentsource 2 when the flange 5 rests on the edge of -the bottom portion I.This contact plate 27 is integral with a contact spring 28 thefree endof which abuts on the inside of the pawl 13, lying between the latterand the ring 23, and pressing said pawl I3 outward into the lockingposition.

The hinged flap l is held in the closed position by the locking claw l2ofthe pawl 13 which engages into the rest H at the inside oi the'frontwallo'f said-flap. The pawl i3 is pressed outward by the contact spring28. When now the projection 16 of the pawllE is pressed inward whichprojection lies in the slot 15 of the front wall of the cover portion 5and is screened by the flange 6 of the cover portion 5, the locking clawl2 disengages itself from the rest It and releases the hinged flap '1 sothat the latter is turned up by the spring '9. When now the pawl i3 isfurther pressed inward, the contact spring 28 is pressed against theedge of the ring 23 of the incandescent wire element whereby the circuitof the incandescent wire element is closed.

The main advantage of the electric pocket lighter according to theembodiment described as compared with known pocket lighters consists inthat the contact spring arranged for closing the circuit of theincandescent wire carrier element can be brought directly into contactwith the ring of the incandescent wire element connected to one of theterminals of the incandescent wire, so that the-current has to nowthrough this contact spring only, and the voltage drop is minimised.This advantage is achieved owing to the elimination of unfavourablecurrent transition points in hinges or other articulations.

Another advantage consists in that the pawl is advantageously arrangedand sheltered in a slot in the front wallof the casing so as to preventthe unintentional opening of the hinged 'flap.

I wish to be understood that I do not desire to belimited to the exactdetails of construction said flap forming the forward part of the cover;a pawl hinged on the casing and normally holding the hinged flap in itsclosed position; a spring acting on the flap and urging same toward itsopen position; an electric socket piece disposed under the flap andcarried by, and electrically insulated from the cover; a contact springextending from said socket piece to one of the terminals of said currentsource; a detachable incandescent wire element including a contact capconductively and detachably connected to the socket, a bracketconductively carried by said cap, a conductive ring carried by, andelectrically insulated from, said bracket, and an incandescent wirehaving one terminal connected to said ring, and the other terminal tosaid cap; means for contacting the other terminal of the current source,said means including a spring acting on said pawl to urge same normallyinto engagement with the flap and out of electrical contact with thering, said pawl, when pressed inwardly, releasing the flap and bringingthe second named spring into contact with the ring.

2. In the lighter as claimed in claim 1, a flange on the outside of thesaid cover for resting on the upper edge of the said bottom portion, aprojection on the said pawl, and a slot in the front walls of the saidbottom portion and the said cover, the said projection projecting fromthe said slot outwardly, but not, beyond the said flange.

3. In the lighter as claimed in claim 1, an intermediate bottom arrangedon the said cover under the said flap and a plate of insulating materialattached on top of the said intermediate bottom and carrying the saidsocket piece,-the said intermediate bottom and electrically insulatingplate having at their forward end a recess for the-said pawl.

4. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein said means include a platecarried by the cover for contacting said other terminal of the currentsource, and said second named spring is integrally formed with saidplate.

ROBERT Lt'iTHI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,542,752 Williams et al June 16,1925 1,584,423 Bate May 11, 1926 1,669,849 Baia May 15, 1928 1,728,292Lavick Sept. 17, 1929 2,134,462 Powell Oct. 25, 1938 2,199,885 KravchuckMay 7, 1940 2,459,656 Kirschner Jan. 18, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 7,998 Great Britain of 1907

